Switch-operating mechanism



T. H. SCHUTT.

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.19, 191s. RENEwEo MAR. 27, 1920.

Patented June 1, 1920.

Unirse erases- ?ALN FFCE.

THEODORE H, SCHUTT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSGNGR TO THE RSS COMPANY, OE ,CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. i

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920.

Application led March 18, 1916, Serial No. 85,174. Renewed March 27, 1920. Serial 110.369,442.

T 0 all whom'z't may concern Be it known that l, THnoDoRE H. SCHUTT, citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Openating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to switches andvparticularly to that class of such devices which are utilized in conjunction with any type of apparatus wherein a slow movement is utilized for throwing a switch which must operate quickly to break the current, such as the switch mechanism utilized in conjunction with electric motors for driving air pumps or other devices utilizing pressure.

-More specifically the invention relates to a quick throwing switch device comprising a switch member and an actuating member provided with spring mechanism for actuating the switch member and trip mechanism cooperating with the switch member to control its action resulting from the force exerted by the spring.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth in the following description, drawings and claims.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; and Fig. 4 is a section upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the parts broken away.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings 1 represents a suitable base plate or panel provided with a recess 2 vfor receiving a conducting block 3 carrying a leaf spring contact 4 provided with a rounded end portion 5. This conducting block 3 is provided with a threaded shank 6 extending through the base or panel and engaged by a nut 7 which holds the parts in place. An extra nut 8 is provided upon the shank which serves as a binding post for one of the wires of the circuit.

Extending through the base plate or panel at a point substantially below the curved portion 5 is a threaded shank 9 forming a part of the pivot member 10 and this threaded shank is engaged by a nut 11 holding the pivot member in place and by another nut 12 forming a means for clamping the other wire of the circuit in place.

The pivot member 10 has a reduced portion 1 3 and a still further reduced threaded portion 14. Mounted upon the reduced portion 13 is a switch block 15 of insulating material and this block is provided with a recess on its back for the reception of a segment conductor strip 16 extending along .the back of the switch block and provided withv an opening for receiving the portion 13 of the pivot member so that the strip will make contacts with the pivot member. The segment strip 16 is provided .with a segment 17 extending over the periphery of the switch block in the path of the curved portion 5 of the leaf spring Contact 4 vandthe switch block is rounded so that the curved portion of this leaf spring contact.; will either ride upon the curved portion of the block or upon the segment.- Thisswitch block is held in place by a washer 18 and nut 19. Secured to the switch block is a controlling member comprising a main portion 2O set into the switch block and carrying a trip arm 21 adapted toV coperate with al stop pin 22 secured in the base plate or panel. This stop also coperates with the main body portion 2O to limit the movement of the switch block as will appear. The trip arm 21 is provided-with a Vthickened locking lug 23 having an arc shaped lower face 24 and an upper face 25,*this lug projecting well out from the arm.

Secured to the base plate or panel 1 and removed from'the mechanism already described is a pin 2G upon which is mounted an `actuating lever comprising any actuating arm 27 and a controlling arm 28, the latter being provided with a rearwardly extending lug 29 near its upper end and arranged to travel about the pivot 26 in an arc corresponding to the curvature of the face 24 of the lug 23. Mounted near the upper end of the controlling arm 28 below the lug 29 is a pivot screw 30 receiving a tension arm 31 provided at its outer end with a pin 32 adapted to travel under the Vstraight lower tension receiving face of the switch block upon both sides of the pivot of this block as will appear. Thistension arm is forced toward the switch block by a spring 33 coiled about the shank of the pivot pin 30. A suitable stop 34 is provided on the base plate or panel for limiting the movement of the controlling arm 28. The actuating arm 2T of the actuating lever is provided with an opening 35 which may be connected to any suitable rod or other device for operating the device as to a diaphragm or any other similar operating piece of mechanism.

Assuming that the leads of the circuit are connected to the binding posts as herein described, and that these wires of the circuit for example lead to the motor of an'air pump and that the actuating arm 27 is connected to a diaphragm connected to the receiver of the pump or that the actuating arm 27 is operated in any other similar way and that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l, which is in a position with the circuit closed, the gradual downward movement of the arm 27 moves the actuating lever in a counter-clockwise direction causing the lug 29 to move under the face 24 of the lug 23 and pin 32 to move on the opposite side of the pivot of the switch block with the result that the tension of the spring 33 is exerted to move the switch block and its parts from the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to the dotted line position shown therein, but this movement is prevented by the engagement of the lug 23 downward upon the lug 29 until the latter passes beyond the left hand end of this lug 23 when the switch block and its parts are free to rotate into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 when the circuit will be broken by reason of the segment 17 being out of contact with the leaf spring contact. If the device is connected to a diaphragm leading to an air pumping device of any description then the power will be cut off from the motor and its operation will cease. As soon as the pressure drops for example, or as soon as the arm 27 is moved back from the dotted line position toward the full line position shown in Fig. 1, then the lug 29 moves over the upper face 25 of the lug 23 of the trip arm 21, thus holding the switch block and its parts from movement until the pin 32 passes to the opposite side of the pivot of the switch block and the lug 29 moves beyond the end of the trip arm lug when the spring 33 will rotate the switch block and its parts in a counter-clockwise direction and bring the segment 17 and the spring leaf contact into engagement again.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. Switch mechanism comprising a plate, a fixed contact carried thereby, a switch block pivotally mounted upon said plate and having a contact segment shiftable by movement of said block into and out of contact relation with the iiXed contact, a trip arm extending from said switch block, a lug carried by the trip arm and having upper and lower faces, an actuating lever, spring actuated means thereon coperating with the switch block, and a lug carried by the lactuating lever and adapted to engage the lower face of the trip arm lug until the spring actuated means is beyond the pivot of the switch block in position to throw the switch and tothen move off from said face and release the switch block, and on the reverse movement to engage the upper face of the trip arm lug and hold the switch against actuation until the spring actuated means is on the opposite side of the switch block pivot in position to throw the switch.

2. Switch mechanism comprising a support, a switch block pivoted thereon, said block on one side of its pivot having a curved face provided with a blank insulated portion and a contact segment and on the other side of its pivot having a tenison receiving face, a stationary yielding contact held against said curved face, an arm carried by said block and having a locking lug, a pivoted actuating lever, and a yielding tension arm carried by said lever and arranged to wipe over lthe tension receiving,

THEODORE H. SCHUTT. 

